Oxford to Cambridge Expressway

The Parish Council hosted a presentation by the No Expressway Group in the village hall on Thursday Jan 16th. Highways England were invited to attend to provide their side of the story but didn't reply to the invitation.

David Rogers and Olivia Field representing the No Expressway Group(NEG) presented information regarding the E-W Expressway, based on information currently available in the public domain and including some predictions. They are the leaders of NEG which is one of the leading groups opposing the project.

The driver for the road is the development of 1million new homes in the 'arc' between Oxford and Cambridge – so we are really into a world of national planning policy, particularly relating to the development and provision of new homes. By their predictions, our area is threatened by every route option being considered as the route is funnelled through this area by constraints elsewhere. There is a lot of support for this proposed scheme fuelled by the landowners, land agents and developers who stand to gain massively from this infrastructure. NEG estimates that opposition groups including the affected local authorities are outnumbered 10:1 by the corporates keen to see this plan become a reality.

The road would be the catalyst for a number of massive developments along the route threatening a large number of rural communities – NEG is attempting to align the opposition in a coordinated way. The parish council hopes to publish a copy of the presentation on the PC website.

AVDC and Bucks CC have confirmed their opposition and it is believed that the new unitary authority will take a similar stance. The May elections for members of the new council will be a great opportunity to canvas candidates to confirm their opposition to the project.

Actions agreed:• Parish Council to support the activities of NEG• Encourage the establishment of a local opposition group – those attending the meeting from other local parish councils were encouraged to confirm their interest in supporting such a group• Seek someone to lead the local opposition group

Things you can do:• Email Grant Shapps and copy our MP Greg Smith• Sign the NEG petition at noexpressway.org• Register with Highways England as a stakeholder• Donate to the NEG via their website

The Parish Council will include an update of progress in its monthly council meetings, held on the first Tuesday of each month.

Click on link above to see poster for NEG meeting in January 2020 in Steeple Claydon.

No Expressway Group Petition:

"We demand that the Government abandons plans for an Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, which include aspirations for vast growth rates (3-6 times national average!) for cars, houses and people.

The scale of development and urban sprawl will cause devastation to the environment, increased congestion that will harm local communities and wildlife, and a surge in air pollution that will damage our health for generations to come. Ecosystems and habitats are already stressed, with many species in catastrophic decline. Don’t be fooled, with this scale and type of development, ‘net zero carbon’ targets are unattainable and ‘net environmental gain’ proven unachievable. We demand that the investment allocated to this project is put into public transport systems such as East-West Rail and its electrification instead.

Build the railway. Stop the expressway!"

Please join us in signing the petition to 'STOP the Ox-Cam Expressway' here.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We truly are Stronger Together!

Best wishesThe No Expressway Group

Dear Hannah

Thank you for your email on 12 September 2019 about registering Steeple Claydon Parish Council as a stakeholder. We appreciate you taking the time to get in touch and for your interest in the project.

I'm pleased to say Steeple Claydon Parish Council is already in our stakeholder database as your parish is in the preferred B1 and B3 corridors. Our next update is likely to be about our non-statutory consultation on route options. Parish councils will have an important role to play as representatives of the local community and we'll be contacting all the relevant parish councils at the launch of the consultation.

The consultation will be an opportunity for people to have their say and help shape how the project is developed. We'll also consult with local communities and a wide range of stakeholders to get their feedback.

Individuals can also register for updates via our webpage. After creating an account, please select updates for the Oxford to Cambridge expressway under the East of England road projects section. Our webpage is the main area to access public information and is updated periodically as the project moves forward. You may find it useful to direct Steeple Claydon councillors and residents to the webpage.

I hope this information is helpful. Thank you once again for contacting us and if we can be of further assistance then please do contact the Oxford to Cambridge expressway team direct by email.